BCACTION - Key Persons
Alicia D. Justice, MPH, is a professional noisemaker, strategic disruptor, public health practitioner and chief health equity strategist leading national efforts to support the functions of state and territorial public health. Alicia is ASTHO's Senior Director of Programmatic Health Equity Initiatives & Strategy leading national initiatives to address social determinants of health, health disparities, structural racism, the impacts of microaggressions, and policies that cause populations to be disenfranchised. For more than 13 years, Alicia has led national public health initiatives overseeing the development and execution of a robust portfolio focused on health policy, systems and environmental change best practices related to tobacco, diabetes, obesity, nutrition, physical activity, breast cancer, heart disease and stroke. As a contributing member on several national advisory groups, Alicia is a strategic policy and programmatic contributor for collective impact interventions that seek to prioritize cost effectiveness and avoid unintended consequences among populations at high risk. In addition to serving on the board of directors at Breast Cancer Action, she also is a Center for Black Health and Equity board of director bringing a host of knowledge in operationalizing health equity interventions and evidence-based strategies to drive organizational leadership structure and objectives. Ms. Justice graduated with MPH degree focusing on Health Administration and Policy from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. She later received a post-graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from Marymount University. And, as a dedicated carpenter of building a more equitable public health delivery system, she is currently pursuing her DrPH at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health where she plans to dedicate her research career to understanding how organizational practices and policies contribute to the ways in which public health entities can best operationalize health equity in community-based work.
Alma is a native of Oakland, California. She received her undergraduate degree from Auburn University and her Juris Doctor from New College of California. She has more than 25 years of management and consulting experience with community action agencies. She facilitates Cultural Competency/Humility trainings for a variety of organizations, while also working for a small non-profit that provides free transportation for people receiving cancer treatments.
Alma became involved with Breast Cancer Action about ten years ago as a volunteer for its Speakers Bureau, after learning of its activism. She had received her own breast cancer diagnosis, and was not interested in the gimmicks of pink-washing this horrible epidemic. As a member of Breast Cancer Action's Speakers Bureau, she spoke to various underserved populations about the impactful work of Breast Cancer Action.
Alma has two amazing adult children, with whom she regularly: hikes, kayaks, dances, and laughs.
Alma is also a proud Outdoor Afro Leader, who is excited to get to lead monthly outdoor activities.
Ashley Jahja is excited to serve as a Program Intern at Breast Cancer Action. She has a deep passion for the environment and health justice from her upbringing in Indonesia. Through this passion, she's completed a B.S. in Society and Environment from UC Berkeley and is currently pursuing an Environmental Health Sciences MPH at UCLA. Throughout her career, she's been active in several social justice organizations and community outreach programs. She mainly works closely with marginalized communities, such as providing healthcare to the houseless population and empowering women and people of color. In her free time, she loves hosting community spaces for art and sharing culture, and finding cute cafes all around town.
Belle Shayer turned from breast cancer patient to breast cancer advocate after her second bout with the disease in 1988. She is a founder of BCAction, was the organization's first treasurer, and has served on the Board of the National Breast Cancer Coalition. Belle is an active member of BCAction's Speakers' Bureau, and currently serves as well on the Board of the State of California Women's Health Council. Belle is self-employed as a bookkeeper/accountant and private conservator.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Internal Affairs Committee
CoCo Villaluz is a Senior Community Development Manager for ClearWay Minnesota SM. CoCo is Hidatsa from the Three Affiliated Tribes, Assiniboine from Fort Peck/Fort Belknap in Montana, and Chamorro from the island of Guam.
CoCo has over eighteen years of experience in all phases of community development, capacity building and mobilizing. She has experience in addressing the sacred use of tobacco, as one of the founding members of the Native American Tobacco Coalition of Montana (NATCOM), and has partnered with many diverse organizations such as Tobacco Policy Sharing Knowledge in Native Societies (TPSKINS), the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the American Cancer Society, and Many Voices, One Message. CoCo has presented at regional, statewide, national and international conferences, including the Global Youth Advocacy Training in Washington D.C. She has also participated on the FDA Stakeholders discussion for American Indian communities.
Some of CoCo's proudest accomplishments include passing the Fort Peck No Smoking Resolution for her tribe, being selected to present at the Auahi Kore (Smoke-Free) Conference in Aotearoa (New Zealand), and passing the Ohinni Candi Wakandapi/Chani Wakan K/Nusa Commercial Tobacco-Free Ordinance for her home community. CoCo incorporates different art forms into prevention activities to address commercial tobacco control. Her overall goal is to promote indigenous cultural wellness of our communities for generations to come.
CoCo is the recipient of the National Indian Health Board 2016 Regional Area Impact Award for advancing American Indian and Alaska Native health. And she was selected a keynote panelist at the National Conference on Tobacco or Health in Austin, TX in 2017.
Fiona Duong is currently a Graphic Design and Communications intern with Breast Cancer Action, bringing in experience with user experience and graphic design. She has a background in biology and plant ecophysiology, and studied the effect of climate on plant anatomy and physiology during her time at San Francisco State University as a graduate student. She also has experience in curating and managing health and wellness programs at a non-profit organization, designing websites and products for start-up companies, and conducting academic research in various laboratories across many scientific disciplines. She is passionate about making all things enjoyable and easy to learn, advocating for environmental and health justice, and creating accessible visual experiences for all.
Gail Kaufman has more than 50 years of experience as an educator and civil and women's rights organizer and activist, and she will be re-joining Breast Cancer Action's Board of Directors after a hiatus.
For the past 18 years, Gail worked with the University of California, Berkeley as the Deputy Director of the Center for Educational Partnerships. She led the Center's work on building and strengthening college- and career-going culture in K-12 and community college. This work focused on systemic change in schools and districts, curriculum development and professional learning, as well as creating schools to increase access and success in higher education for low-income, first generation students of color and their families.
Gail's extensive women's rights organizing began when she became a member of the Coalition for the Medical Rights of Women (CMRW) and co-director of the Committee to Defend Reproductive Rights (CDRR). In 1982 Gail became the first Associate Director of Equal Rights Advocates (ERA), a national public interest law firm based in San Francisco, whose mission is to protect and expand economic and educational access and opportunities for women and girls. As a leader in CMRW and CDRR, and her more than a dozen years' with ERA, Gail was at the forefront of fighting for equity and justice in work and healthcare spaces.
Gail began her career teaching social studies in Brooklyn, New York, and rural Massachusetts. She moved from teaching to developing alternative educational programs in higher education, and returned to K-12 as the Director of Communications and Public Relations with the San Francisco Unified School District. During this time, she received a Master's in Curriculum at Brooklyn College and a Master's in Counselor Education at Washington University in St. Louis.
Recently retired, Gail is pleased to bring her energy, experience and expertise (focusing on coalition building, communications/media and fundraising) to Breast Cancer Action and to learn from staff, board, and members about how best to reach Breast Cancer Action's health justice mission.
"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude about it." As trite as this timeless truth by Maya Angelou may seem, it has altered Haleemah's perception of human existence and has been highly instrumental to the research positions she's served in various not-for-profit organizations and her personal social justice advocacy ever since she stumbled on the quote in her final year of secondary school in Nigeria, West Africa. Haleemah brings this perception, cumulative three-plus years of work experience in the social sector, and her ability to complete insightful yet empathetic mixed-method social science research to the team at Breast Cancer Action. Haleemah has a Master's degree in International Development with a focus on the International Political Economy from Ohio University, and a Bachelor's Degree in Communications from Crescent University. When not working, she enjoys watching Korean dramas, exploring museums, and creating what she considers hilarious TikTok content that is never going to leave her drafts.
Heather is a mission -driven nonprofit leader with 20 years of experience in senior -level leadership capacities for local, state, and national organizations scaling and sustaining social innovation via complex systems. She brings experience to BC Action as a cross-functional strategist, organizational change architect, and thought leader with a stellar record of achievement in multi-sector collaboration, program innovation, talent development, and resource development.
As a catalyst for transformational and innovative change, she is energized in creating the conditions for people and organizations to be and do their very best. She relishes opportunities to pose challenging questions to gain curiosity and galvanize critical conversations that inspire audacious actions.
Diagnosed with breast cancer in her early 30s, she knows the physical, mental, emotional, and financial impact a cancer diagnosis and treatment can bring. Her lived experience demonstrates that access to transparent and unbiased information and options is critical and often a challenge to obtain. She believes every human has the right to be their own health advocate, and to do so everyone must have access to independent evidence-based data to inform their decisions.
Heather earned her Master's in Business Administration (MBA) with a focus in nonprofit management from Springfield College, where she also graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Human Services. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, hiking, kayaking, reading, and traveling the world.
As Breast Cancer Action's Development Manager, Heather manages the organization's diverse grassroots fundraising program. She combines her decades of experience in marketing, communications, event planning, and data management to support our advocacy and development work, and ensure the organization has the resources it needs to fulfill its mission.
She previously worked with an environmental non-profit that provides research on the safety and use of consumer products for government, industry, and academic organizations. This work provided her with a knowledge of and focus on the increased risk of breast cancer caused by environmental exposures due to chemicals including highly fluorinated chemicals (PFAS), flame retardants, and antimicrobials. Heather graduated from Mills College with a bachelor of arts in Sociology. Her undergraduate thesis addressed women's reproductive health justice in marginalized and minority communities. Before gaining her BA, she worked in the Philippines with several NGOs advocating for the health rights of underserved women and children. In her free time she loves gardening, making art, and adventuring with her children.
Rooted in her political lineage of grassroots organizing and activism toward Black and queer liberation and health equity in the heart of LA-Dr. Redman centers her work in Health Justice, the liberation of folx who reside deep within the margins and in Reproductive Justice. Dr. Redman is a self-published author, and a frequent speaker throughout sexual and reproductive justice, and health justice movement(s), as well as in the public health sector. They bring over 16 years of experience in leading health promotion and disease prevention initiatives, as well as organizing towards equitable access, care and treatment within community-based and centered programs. Prior to beginning her relationship with Breast Cancer Action, Dr. Redman has held executive leadership positions within public health and healthcare organizations. They also continue to lead a southern based reproductive justice organization. Mainly, her role(s) have centered on working to expand resources, information, health education, and access to equitable care and coverage to young people, womxn, and families. Beyond her work in service to those with the furthest relationships to power, Dr. Redman is most proud and driven by their role as a parent to her cute little one "Amyr," who keeps her animated, grounded and centered.
Naveena has a background in marketing and sales with over 20 years of experience. She spent over a decade working in Denver, in the travel-nurse staffing industry, selling contracts to hospitals nationwide for both their travel and replacement (in case of a strike) nursing staffing needs. Naveena received her BS in Business, Marketing and Management from Edgewood College.
In 2011, Naveena shifted gears after her father was diagnosed with dementia, and moved from Denver, CO to Madison, WI to care for him (he passed in 2020). In 2014, she began working at the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Institute (WAI) in marketing, philanthropy and community outreach and engagement. Naveena collaborates closely with the team at the Institute whose focus is raising awareness through education and outreach, about health inequities disproportionately impacting communities of color; and giving those communities most impacted by structural inequities, the tools necessary to receive information, share their knowledge with others and take charge of their health.
Naveena lost her mom to breast cancer in 2001, after an 18-year battle with the disease. She is new to the board (2022) and looks forward to honoring her mom's memory by serving on the board (something her mom would have done).
Dr. AJ is a community-based multidisciplinary researcher whose work seeks to increase quality of life for underserved communities through mixed methods research, the development of instruments (surveys and assessments) and technology, and the implementation and evaluation of innovative programs.
Dr. AJ has worked in research for over a decade in various capacities and fields as she has earned a B.A. in Journalism, M.A. in Cultural Anthropology, M.P.H. in Applied Biostatistics and Epidemiology, and a Ph.D in Psychometrics. She is the Founder and CEO of DataStories by Seshat, LLC, a research and data analysis company.
Dr. AJ came to cancer research after her best friend, Candice Rice, was diagnosed for a second time with breast cancer. Since then, she has engaged the field by participating in community-based partnerships that explore cancer etiology and test culturally-relevant interventions on survivorship and quality of life. Unfortunately, Candice did not survive treatment, and Dr. AJ has lost even more friends to this disease, including two mentors and another dear friend. Thus, Dr. AJ has committed to engaging this work in a variety of ways including research, policy, and supporting Breast Cancer Action.
Dr. Barrett has over forty years of leadership in public, nonprofit and private sectors in the areas of program development, administration and public health practice. In her last Federal Public Health Service position, Dr. Barrett created and served as the Director of Minority and Women's Health in the Health Resources and Services Administration's Bureau of Primary Health Care. Retired since 2003, she is the founder and principal of S.E.B. and Associates, LLC, and currently consults on and provides training to health professionals on a wide range of issues including: public health, primary care and oral health, minority and women's health disparities, health literacy, language access and cultural competency. Her clients have been both global and domestic including government, nonprofit associations and NGOs. In Australia, Dr. Barrett provided consultation to the Centre of Culture, Ethnicity and Health on an initiative to develop health literacy curriculum and provide training to service providers in Victoria. Before rotating off of the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Roundtable on Health Literacy, after being an active member for six years representing safety net providers, Dr. Barrett spearheaded the development of the IOM's Oral Health Literacy Workshop.
She is currently serving on the technical working group that created the revised SOAR curriculum that was sponsored by two Public Health Service entities, the Agency for Children and Families and OASH's Office on Women's Health. Dr. Barrett also participated in the development of the PHS ACF/OWH Look Beneath the Surface Campaign on human trafficking. Dr. Barrett continues to serve on a number of committees and Boards. She is a Board member and Secretary for the Intercultural Cancer Council (ICC) and serves as the organization's Mid-Atlantic ICC Regional Leader. She is also a Board member of the Gaston and Porter Health Improvement Center. She received her Masters of Science at Columbia University's School of Social Work in New York and her Doctorate in Public Health at Morgan State University's School of Community Health and Policy. Dr. Barrett also serves as an adjunct professor in the Public Health Sciences Program at the University of Maryland-CP at the Shady Grove, Maryland campus.
She was compelled to serve on the Breast Cancer Action Board of Directors because women are being diagnosed with breast cancer at earlier ages and the disease often goes undiagnosed because women believe they are too young to have developed the disease, and doctors often tell patients they are too young to have breast cancer - a paradigm that needs to shift. She also believes there is a direct link between breast cancer and the environment. Therefore, she's most interested in exploring environmental factors that may impact women's susceptibility to breast cancer. Being part of Breast Cancer Action's Board allows her to reengage in her advocacy and grassroots activities.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair
- Vice President and Chief of Staff at the Vera Institute of Justice
Stacey Strongarone (she/her) joined the board of Breast Cancer Action in 2022 and serves as chair of the External Affairs Committee. She was drawn to BCAction's work as a way to respond to her own experiences with breast cancer at an organization that shares a commitment to social justice, anti-racism, and health equity.
Stacey currently serves as vice president and chief of staff at the Vera Institute of Justice, where she manages the implementation of Vera's 2020-2023 strategic plan. Stacey also launched and developed Vera's California office and, for many years, built and managed programs pushing for and providing access to lawyers for people in immigration detention.
Stacey has served on the Liberty Hill Foundation's Community Funding Board and Change L.A. host committee, and received her coaching certification from Coaching for Transformation. She received her BA from the College of the Holy Cross and her JD from New York University School of Law. Stacey recently returned to Brooklyn after 10 years in Los Angeles.
Job Titles:
- Independent Public Health Consultant
As an independent public health consultant for 16 years, Tamatha Thomas-Haase believes that through intentional, cross-sector engagement - rooted in equity - transformative change of public health institutions, policies, processes is possible. Leveraging collective wisdom through artful group process is at the heart of her professional calling, and her 20-year career in public health has taught her the value of meaningful connection to others and their purpose.
On November 6, 2018, Tamatha was diagnosed with stage IIIC, triple negative inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) - a rare and aggressive breast cancer that accounts for 1 to 5% of breast cancers diagnosed in the United States. Disparities in race and socioeconomic status on IBC incidence, as well as outcomes, are well documented. Currently living fully after living through cancer, Tamatha is proud to join in service to Breast Cancer Action's compelling and urgent mission.
Tamatha is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned her Master's in Public Administration from Evergreen State College. When she is not running through airports carrying flip-chart paper and giant bags of markers and post-it notes (she's old school), she can be found watching Glow Up with her teenaged daughter, walking on Hermosa Beach with her face to the sun, or wishing she were hiking the mountains of her home state of Vermont with friends who feel much more like family.
Tibby is a communications professional with experience in the food justice, reproductive justice, and health justice fields. Prior to joining the team at BCAction, her reproductive justice work included roles at the local, state, and national level. Locally, Tibby worked as a Patient Advocate and the Office Coordinator at Red River Women's Clinic in Fargo, North Dakota. At the state level, she served as the President of the board of directors for the North Dakota Women In Need (WIN) Abortion Access Fund for four years. At the national level she has worked as a Communications Contractor for the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF). Prior to her work in abortion care, Tibby worked as Director of Development at a health care facility and in communications and marketing at food pantries in Chicago, IL, and Fargo, ND. Her communications background also includes two years working as a journalist and a social media internship with the satirical publication The Onion. Tibby earned her Master's Degree from the University of Chicago in the program of Social Sciences (MAPSS), and her Bachelor's Degree from the University of California, Berkeley with a double-major in Rhetoric and Gender and Women's Studies.
Tracy Marshall Kolian is a public health professional in Washington D.C. with years of experience working on a range of issues such as children's environmental health, climate change, substance abuse, and toxins. Currently, Tracy is director is of strategic innovation and grants at the American College of Medical Toxicology and a consultant helping public health clients advance their goals. She spent over ten years at the American Public Health Association growing the associations policy and program areas and associated funding. Early in her career, Tracy worked in human health risk assessment and the clean-up of hazardous waste sites across the U.S. Tracy has a BS in Toxicology from Northeastern University, an MPH from Tulane University, and is a graduate of CDC's Environmental Public Health Leadership Institute.
Although Tracy has spent her career in public health, breast cancer was not an issue she knew or thought much about. In 2018/2019, breast cancer became front and center in her and her family's life with the diagnosis and death (less than 2 years after diagnosis) of her older sister Kathleen from metastatic breast cancer. It is this difficult and painful experience that compelled Tracy to learn about breast cancer, to want to raise awareness and truth about this devastating disease, and to join the BCAction Board of Directors.
Job Titles:
- Operations Manager
- Program Officer
Zoë wears several hats: As BCAction's Program Officer, she strives for concrete, real-world change specifically as it relates to people with breast cancer. She develops and maintains relationships with other leaders in this field, produces educational materials, and provides one-on-one information and resources to callers to help them make informed decisions about their health, based on their personal values and priorities. As BCAction's Operations Manager, she coordinates our working environments. Zoë holds a Masters degree in psychology and spent 20 years working in the trenches of crisis intervention and support. Outside of BCAction, she is a poet and writer, working on a memoir, and a photographer who hangs out with crows.